Introduction:

Computers are expensive, it’s a basic fact of the free market. You might think those deals you see for a $400 computer are great, but everyone knows that you will eventually end up replacing it. Parts wear out, break, or just end up being obsolete. Something that never does become obsolete however, is information. Think about the number of hours you spend gathering more music, chat logs, emails, pictures of your pet rock. You could really say that the hardware that makes up your $5000 gaming machine isn’t worth anything compared to the data on the hard drives.

I’ve taken this to heart, I backup my data regularly. The main way I back things up is with extra hard drives, swapping them out as needed. But even that isn’t enough, I also have 4 200GB hard drives in a RAID 5 array for all my really important files. A small 75GB Raptor drive is used for expendable information like my operating system and programs that I want to startup faster. (the raid array can transfer data quickly, but access times are much higher than a single drive).

With those 5 drives, that’s still not enough. I have also recently bought 4 320GB drives I’d like to setup with a hardware raid card (most $100 raid cards are known as “software raid cards” and still put the processing work off to your CPU, which can really slow things down).

For those keeping track, that’s 9 Hard drives in one system, along with 2 optical drives. My Lian-li PC-V1000 is quite nice, and has room for 6 hard drives in the lower bays, but I need more. Also, a good RAID array has the ability to hot-swap a drive if one dies, without loosing any information, or shutting down the system. Or even without a RAID array, using SATA drives (which all my drives are) to simply un-mount them safely while the system is running. That is incredibly handy for backing up information, or transferring information between systems.

Stock Photo's

ICY DOCK believes they have the answer to my problems. The ICY DOCK multi-bay hard drive module. It is an internal hard drive back that fits in your cases optical drive bays. The MB454 SPF that they sent me, takes up 3, 5” optical drive slots, and allows 4 3.5” SATA hard drives to be installed. The module’s 4 sleds are hot swappable, and there is an 80mm fan in the rear for cooling.

Manufactures specs:

• Drive Fit : 4 x 3.5" Hot Swappable SATA I or II

• Device Fit : 3 x 5.25" device bays

• Internal drive security, exchangeability, expandability and maintenance capabilities

• Compact and space saving for multiple drive fit

• Durable aluminum built cooling

• Huge warm air outtake fan cooling that's detachable

• Advanced drive monitoring system built internally w/ visual & audio indicators

 
Model Specifications:

• Internal Host 7 pin SATA

• Drive Fit 4 x 3.5 “ SATA I / II

• Drive Bay 3 x 5.25”

• Transfer Rate 3Gb/sec.

• Insert & Extract connection Via 15 pin direct hard drive connection

• Structure Aluminum body w/ partial plastic

• Drive Cooling Detachable rear outtake fan w/ aluminum heat dispersion

• Alarm Indication Audio & Visual

• LED Indication Drive activity/overheat/failure, Fan working/failure status

• LED Display Color Green : Device Power ; Amber : Drive activity/overheat/failure ; Red

• : Drive failure

• Drive Security Drive tray locking mechanism

• Dimension (L x W x H) 220.0 x 147.0 x 127.0 mm w/ fan

• 185.0 x 147.0 x 127.0 mm w/o fan

• Weight 3.50 lbs.

First impressions:

When the enclosure arrived, it was unfortunately through “UooPS” shipping, and because it didn’t require a signature, they figure it isn’t important. The package was left on my back deck without any note that they’d dropped off a package. It took me a while to notice that the box was there (I had a lot of empty cardboard boxes already there, getting ready to get rid of them) but thankfully there was no damage, water or otherwise.

It's a survivor

Well protected

Spartan

Taking a look at what is in the box, there seem to just be the basics, the enclosure itself, some cables, a manual and hard drive screws. The plastic wrap and padding kept everything safe and sound.